Ennis-Hill swaps athletics track for storytelling with her debut as author

JESSICA ENNIS-HILL is swapping the running track for the literary world as she embarks on a new career as a children’s author.

The 31-year-old, who won heptathlon gold at the 2012 London Olympics, retired last year and has since signed a seven-book deal with Hodder Children’s Books.

The first in the series, called Evie’s Magic Bracelet: The Silver Unicorn, follows the story of a little girl who goes on to enjoy a series of adventures.

They include an encounter with a unicorn after receiving a magical bracelet from her grandmother Iris in Jamaica.

Ennis-Hill is co-writing the series with children’s author Elen Caldecott, who graduated with an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. She was highly commended in the PFD Prize for Most Promising Writer for Young People.

Mother-of-one Ennis-Hill, who lives in Millhouses, near Sheffield, will be reading from the book and signing copies at Waterstones in Orchard Square, Sheffield city centre, tomorrow at 10am. She said the story is inspired by many of the adventures she had herself as a youngster.

She said: “I have so many great memories of being a little girl. My friends and I spent lots of time exploring and having adventures. It has been so much fun working with Elen to go back to that world of stories and imagination and share it with readers. I very much hope that the books will inspire and encourage them to look for the magic in everyday life.”

Following the publication of the first book, three further titles will be released later this year and the final three in 2018.